We still need more points – Andoni Iraola won’t relax despite Bournemouth win

Posted Monday, March 04, 2024 by PA

Andoni Iraola does not believe Bournemouth are safe yet despite ending a seven-game winless Premier League run with a 2-0 victory over Burnley.

The Clarets and Sheffield United are cut adrift at the bottom and the Cherries are now sitting in 13th place, 11 points clear of Luton in 18th.

“I’m satisfied with the situation that we have a gap of 11 points, it’s very good, it’s important,” said the Bournemouth boss.

We still need more points – Andoni Iraola won’t relax despite Bournemouth win — Justin Kluivert scores Bournemouth’s opening goal (Richard Sellers/PA)

“But we still need more wins, we still need more points. I feel that Luton, they have very good spirit, they fight every game and they can make a good run.”

Burnley dominated possession and chances but the two moments of real quality came from Bournemouth, with Justin Kluivert opening the scoring in the 13th minute and Antoine Semenyo making sure of the win two minutes from time.

Iraola was left with mixed feelings, saying: “Obviously I’m happy because we needed this win. For sure we played worse than the last games we’ve played, but we’ll take the win.

“I was disappointed with the performance in the first half. We made adjustments and the second half was much better from our side.”

The negative was a hamstring injury suffered early in the first half by key defender Marcos Senesi.

“I think it’s a clear strain in the hamstring,” said Iraola. “I hope it’s not very big.

“It’s a very bad moment for us because we don’t have too many defenders right now. Also for him personally because he has been called again with Argentina. I know that is something important for him.”

Burnley have now gone 10 games without a victory, conceding a combined 10 goals without reply in their last three.

Manager Vincent Kompany felt the performance was a substantial improvement on last weekend’s 3-0 defeat by Crystal Palace, saying: “I did think we put in the energy that we needed.

“We created I think more shots and chances than in any of the games we’ve played in the Premier League so far this season. And even after conceding the goal, we carried on.

“But the frustration is something that has to substitute into the next game. What we can’t drop is the energy levels we had today.”

Kompany bemoaned the consistency of officiating after Josh Cullen had a second-half effort ruled out for a foul by Jacob Bruun Larsen.

“In the context of this game, you can allow or disallow this goal and have kind of a 50-50 divide,” he said.

“But, if you zoom out a little bit and put this goal against the goal we conceded against Luton, impeding a player while you’re not making contact with the ball, it’s exactly what happened in reverse.

“So in that moment you don’t give a foul and in this moment you do. That side of it is difficult to handle this season.”

Burnley have now lost 11 of their 14 league matches at Turf Moor this season and boos were audible at the final whistle.

“That’s after every defeat in every club,” said Kompany. “It’s football.

“But as long as they’re there from the start, which it was, and throughout the game they support you, that’s part of the things you have to be able to deal with and eventually it all comes back in a positive way.”